1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a nozzle opening/shutting device of an airless type cosmetics vessel, which can discharge the contents of a vessel body in response to a button pushing and releasing action and, more particularly, to a nozzle opening/shutting device of an airless type cosmetics vessel, in which, when a user pushes and releases a push button, a plunger can move forward and backward by a cam mechanism so as to open and shut a cosmetic discharge hole of a nozzle, unlike in a conventional technique that uses a spring mechanism, and so the nozzle opening/shutting device of this invention can prevent a misoperation when opening and shutting the nozzle and can realize a precise nozzle opening/shutting operation, and in which an end of the plunger is inserted in the inlet of the cosmetic discharge hole of the nozzle in such a way that the plunger end protrudes outside the inlet and comes into close surface contact with the inlet, thereby preventing air from being introduced into the nozzle and preventing the contents of the cosmetics vessel from oxidizing, and maintaining the quality of the contents constantly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, airless type cosmetics vessels are configured such that, when it is required to use a cosmetic product, the contents of the cosmetics vessel can be discharged by an operation of a pumping unit that is installed in an upper part of the vessel that contains liquid (gel) cosmetic therein, that is, the contents can be discharged by a pumping operation formed in response to a user's action of pushing and releasing an upper push button.
In related art, the airless type cosmetics vessels are classified into two types as follows.
In a first type of airless type cosmetics vessel, a cosmetic discharge hole moves downward along with a push button and the contents of the vessel can be discharged by a pumping operation of a pumping unit. In a second type of airless type cosmetics vessel, a push button moves downward in a state in which a cosmetic discharge hole is in a fixed position, and the contents of the vessel can be discharged by a pumping operation of a pumping unit.
Here, the present invention relates to the first type of airless type cosmetics vessel and, particularly, to a nozzle opening/shutting device of the vessel.
An example of related art techniques of the first type of airless type cosmetics vessel is referred to Korean Patent No. 10-0809870, entitled “pump push-down head” (hereinbelow, referred to simply as patent document 1).
The pump push-down head of the patent document 1 is operated as follows. When a cover part is pushed down, the pressure drag of a stem is larger than the pressure drag of a cover body relative to the stem, and so the stem is not moved downward, but the cover body is moved downward relative to a mounting sleeve member, and a lever member, the lower end of which is placed on the upper surface of a top plate of the mounting sleeve member, is rotated clockwise around a hinge shaft. Due to the rotation of the lever member, a valve member is moved backward while overcoming the elastic biasing force of a coil spring, thereby opening a discharge hole of a nozzle head. Thereafter, the stem is moved downward and the liquid contents flow from a pump and pass through a sleeve pipe by way of the stem, and so the liquid contents can be discharged to the outside from the discharge hole after passing through a passage from a connection hole.
When the pushing force is removed from the cover part, the nozzle head is shut by a process that is reversed from the above-mentioned process of opening the head.
Further, another example of the related art techniques is referred to Korean Patent No. 10-1025191, entitled “apparatus for opening and shutting nozzle of cosmetic case” (hereinbelow, referred to simply as patent document 2).
The apparatus of the patent document 2 includes: an actuation button body that is installed on the upper surface of a cosmetics vessel, and has a nozzle and a guide pipe that are provided so as to discharge the contents of the vessel to the outside, and has a support shaft and a spring holder that are installed in a rear part of the actuation button body; a rod-shaped nozzle opening/shutting pin that is inserted in the guide pipe of the actuation button body and moves forward and backward so as to open and shut the nozzle; a push pin that is integrated with the rear end of the nozzle opening/shutting pin and has a ring-shaped locking groove; a spring that is placed in back of the push pin and is inserted in the spring holder, and normally biases both the nozzle opening/shutting pin and the push pin forward; an actuation lever that is provided with a hinge shaft hole so as to be combined with the support shaft of the actuation button body, with an actuation member provided in a lower part of the actuation lever so as to be combined with the locking groove of the push pin; and a button cover that is installed in the upper part of the actuation button body and has a nozzle guide hole in the front surface thereof, and rotates the actuation lever in response to a pushing action of a user.
The apparatus of the patent document 2 is operated as follows. When a user pushes down the button cover of the actuation button body, the button cover is moved downward and presses the actuation lever, and so the actuation lever is rotated around the support shaft, and the push pin is moved backward while compressing the spring, thereby opening the nozzle. When the user further pushes the button cover, an airless pump performs a pumping operation and discharges the contents to the outside through the nozzle, thereby allowing the user to use the cosmetics. When the pushing force is removed from the button cover of the actuation button body, the airless pump is elastically returned to an upper position thereof and the push pin is moved forward by the spring, thereby closing the nozzle.
However, in the same manner as that of the technique of patent document 1, the technique disclosed in patent document 2 is problematic as follows. To open and shut the nozzle, the push pin is retracted backward while compressing the spring and advances forward by the elastic biasing force of the spring, and so, when the biasing force of the spring becomes weak or when the spring cannot perform a desired biasing operation (for example, because the contents in the nozzle become hardened), the push pin may not efficiently retract and may not efficiently advance.
In other words, the forward and backward movement of the push pin of the related art techniques may not realize a precise nozzle opening and shutting operation.
Further, in the same manner as that of the patent document 1, the technique disclosed in the patent document 2 is problematic in that the end of the push pin has a rounded shape, and the nozzle opening/shutting operation is performed in a state in which the rounded end of the push pin comes into linear contact with the interior of the cosmetic discharge hole of the nozzle, and so, when the contents remain in the cosmetic discharge hole of the nozzle and become hardened or when foreign substances become lodged in the cosmetic discharge hole, it may be almost impossible to completely shut the nozzle, and this may undesirably introduce air into the nozzle and may cause a change in quality of the contents, such as hardening or oxidizing of the contents, and may cause a leakage of the contents from the nozzle.
The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present invention, and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.